The Pittsburgh Penguins (2-2-0) visit the Columbus Blue Jackets (1-1-0) on Friday night at Nationwide Arena, looking to stop a two-game losing streak. The division rivals meet with Pittsburgh coming off a messy performance in Washington, where the Penguins repeatedly gave the puck away, according to PGHHockeyNOW’s preview carried by Yahoo Sports.
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The game closes out a two-game road trip for Pittsburgh, which opened the week with a 3-2 home loss to Winnipeg before dropping a 5-3 decision to the Capitals on Wednesday. The scheduled start is 7 p.m. ET.
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A Costly Night of Giveaways in Washington
The Penguins’ defensive play was the main problem in the Capitals loss. Four of their six defensemen committed multiple turnovers, and Kris Letang had a game-high four giveaways. The report describes the team as being in “perpetual giveaway mode,” and the performance has become the main talking point heading into Columbus.
A Blue Jackets Team Reshaped by an Active Offseason
Columbus enters the game after an unsettled summer. The Blue Jackets are said to have ended trade talk around defenseman Zach Werenski, and they traded Kirill Marchenko to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a larger deal built around acquiring Matthew Knies. Knies has two goals and four points in his first two games with his new team, according to The Hockey News.
Marchenko will not be in the opposing lineup, but Werenski and forward Adam Fantilli will. Columbus has not played since last Saturday, when it lost 4-1 to the Utah Mammoth, so the Blue Jackets are coming off several days’ rest.
Lines and Lineup Questions
Pittsburgh’s projected lines have Evgeni Malkin centering a trio with Egor Chinakhov and Novak. Karlsson is expected to be paired with Carlile on defense, with Girard and Korczak as another pairing. The Penguins already shuffled their forward lines before the Washington game, and further changes are possible after that loss.
Reality Check: Small Sample, Early Season
- Sample size: Four games is too few to call a trend. A turnover-heavy night can reflect early-season rust or new defensive pairings as easily as a deeper flaw.
- Opponent context: Columbus has played only two games and made major roster changes, so form is hard to judge on either side.
- Lineups: The projected lines come from pregame reports and can change before puck drop.
What to Watch
Pittsburgh hosts the Dallas Stars on Saturday, so Friday’s result matters for both the standings and the team’s mood. Watch whether Pittsburgh cleans up its defensive-zone puck management and how the new-look Blue Jackets, with Knies and Werenski, handle their first test after a long break.
Source: PGHHockeyNOW via Yahoo Sports, The Hockey News
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